Butler hopes to get cast off next week

NBA - IN THE PAINT

April 17, 2007

Washington forward Caron Butler said Monday he hopes to have the cast removed from his broken right hand in a week and thinks he could play if the team reached the second round of the playoffs. His recovery time was supposed to be six weeks after he broke a bone in his hand two weeks ago. "There's definitely a chance," Butler said. "I'm trying to get my cast off probably as early as next Monday."

Heat's Posey sprains wrist, shoulder

Heat forward James Posey left Miami's game against Boston on Monday night with a sprained left wrist and shoulder, injuries that come less than a week before the defending NBA champions open the playoffs. He did not return to the game, Miami's next-to-last of the regular season.

Heisley will take Grizzlies off market

Memphis Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley said Monday he will take the team off the market if he does not have an offer to buy it by May 1. If the schedule holds, it will mean the end of Heisley's yearlong effort to sell the franchise.

Camby takes night off against T'wolves

Marcus Camby, the NBA's leader in blocked shots, sat out Denver's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves as a precaution. Camby, who leads the league with 3.3 blocks per game, bruised his right knee in the fourth quarter of the Nuggets' loss at Memphis on Saturday night and is listed as day to day.

Duncan, Parker and Ginobili sit

Tim Duncan and Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were held out of the San Antonio Spurs' game at Memphis. Already locked into the Western Conference's No. 3 seed, Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said before the game they would not play against the Grizzlies, the NBA's worst team. The Spurs were coming off a 91-86 loss at Dallas on Sunday. Popovich acknowledged he wants to rest some of his key players. "It's a fine line between staying away from injury and giving the body a little bit of a break," he said. "But as much as the body, it's the mental side of it."